IS to woo Malaysians via new propaganda material

International terrorist outfit – Islamic State has established their Bahasa Melayu propaganda material to disseminate instructions on building makeshift weapons, including explosive drones, said Nordic Counter-Terrorism Network’s (NCTN) Cyber Intelligence and Terrorism Division.

“In Southeast Asia, European Islamist jihadists are relocating to the region, believing they can practice their ideologies more freely in Muslim-majority states without fear of authorities,” Andrin Raj, director of the Helsinki-based NCTN said, reported The Scoop.

“Further monitoring is essential, as we cannot ascertain whether this activity is localised within Malaysia or extends beyond its borders.

“There are supporters of this propaganda group who are fluent in Malay, suggesting a potential local presence.”

The effort is being undertaken by Fursan al-Tarjuma (Knights of Translation) collective via At-Tamkin Malay Media Foundation to target Malaysian audience in Bahasa Malaysia.

While the materials are out, access to it is limited to IS internal media and its members.

Aside from BM, materials are also published in 17 other languages.

Andrin also shared his views regarding the efforts by Fursan al- Tarjuma.

“Fursan al-Tarjuma strives… to be the singular source for translations of the Islamic State official media, publications that explain its policies bound by shariah, dispel suspicions and false arguments raised by its enemies, and articles and graphics to inspire dedication and faith,” the text on the banner read.

“As such, Fursan al-Tarjuma is dedicated to the spread of the translated media around the world on as many platforms as possible – from social media to applications and websites so that official Islamic State media can reach as many as possible.”

This is not the first propaganda. Ten years ago, IS published Dabiq which was published 2014 to 2016. Dabiq was published in Indonesian language.